U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,004 describes an example of a shear wave elastography method for imaging an observation field in a medium.
While the method of U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,004 gives full satisfaction when tissue motion in the medium is limited, the reproducibility and reliability of images and measurements may not be optimal when tissues undergo stronger motion.
For instance shear wave elastography performed in the liver and abdomen can be sensitive to small movements due to the breathing of the patient, to shadowing from the lungs ribs and intervening tissues, or even to pulsation of the organs linked to heart rate.
There is thus a need for a method for performing shear wave elastography imaging of an observation field in a medium that could provide reduced measurement variability, shorten acquisition times or reduce the number of failed acquisitions.
Such a method can be particularly useful for new users since it can reduce the learning curve of shear wave elastography imaging.